Biden assures China that its US assets are 'safe': Mr Biden and Mr Xi, who is expected to begin taking over the

CHENGDU (China) - United States Vice-President Joe Biden wrapped up a visit to China yesterday that offered him extensive time with the country's expected future leader, Vice-President Xi Jinping, and delivered a strong message of US mutual interdependence with the world's second-largest economy. Mr Biden, who held formal talks with Mr Xi and President Hu Jintao during his five-day visit, also made the case for continued US economic vitality despite current budget woes and sought to reassure China's leaders and ordinary citizens about the safety of their assets in the US following the downgrading of America's credit rating. "You're safe," Mr Biden told students in a question-and-answer session following a speech at Sichuan University in the south-western city of Chengdu. "We could not afford not to make good" on US commitments, Mr Biden said, noting that the interest rate ...